Federal agents sweep Macarthur Park in Wednesday drug operation
Federal and local law enforcement swept macarthur park on Wednesday, targeting what authorities called an open-air drug market. Dozens of armed federal agents and LAPD officers raided storefronts near the Alvarado corridor as a police helicopter flew overhead.
At about 2:08 p.m., additional police and federal vehicles pulled up to 6th and Alvarado, and scores of officers spilled out. LAPD officers later cordoned off the northeast corner of the park with yellow crime scene tape while others pushed back people they encountered.
Anthony Chrysanthis and the March case
Anthony Chrysanthis, head of the DEA’s office in Los Angeles, said in a statement that “Gang criminals and drug peddlers have been exploiting the MacArthur Park community for far too long.” Authorities had already moved against the same area in March, when federal agents arrested a dozen members and associates of the 18th Street gang on indictments alleging murder, extortion and drug trafficking.
In March, authorities said the gang controlled the park as an open-air drug marketplace and used tents to blend in with the homeless population and avoid detection by law enforcement. That description set the stage for Wednesday’s sweep, which focused on the park’s northeast corner and nearby storefronts rather than the entire neighborhood at once.
6th and Alvarado on Wednesday
During the operation, several armored tactical vehicles followed a large command post-style vehicle, and officers made repeated announcements over a loudspeaker that it was a DEA operation. One announcement told people, “We have a federal narcotics warrant in the area,” and instructed them to comply with law enforcement commands and walk down the street with their hands on their heads.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Los Angeles said Wednesday afternoon that it would announce the results of the operation at a press conference. For people near the park, the sweep meant an immediate, visible law-enforcement presence centered on 6th and Alvarado and the blocks around it.
